Why Mediate? Reason #3
Sep 30th, 2008 by admin
Reason #3 why I think mediation is a good idea is a simple one: Cost. Even judges acknowledge that working with the court system can be very expensive for clients. Each side may choose to hire a lawyer, then each side may choose to hire his or her own expert, and then each side puts together materials for the court with his/her own version of the story and proposed outcome for the case.
Paying these kinds of costs is especially tough in a divorce situation, when you’re going from having one household to having two households. Living costs inevitably go up and income can take a while to catch up…if it ever does. The increased costs of living are why, about a year ago, researchers claimed that divorce was bad for the environment. (Here’s the story.)
By using mediation, or other processes that avoid the costs that come with the formalities of court (ex. Collaborative Law), families can manage their costs. Avoiding court has the double benefit of keeping stress down and keeping costs–which are also stressful–down, too. Each of these out-of-court ways of resolving matters offer the other benefits of mediation: You can keep your private life private, and you can be much more in control of the process. Good things, don’t you think?